Suddenly, I find myself counting the minutes until 24's new season. Perhaps this is why: Katee Sackhoff is joining the cast!

Sources confirm to me exclusively that the Battlestar Galactica heroine has been tapped to play the series regular role of Dana Walsh, a highly respected and down-to-earth data analyst at the new and improved New York branch of CTU.

Translation: Chloe-Starbuck catfight alert!
This fraktastic casting coup hit a road block last week when Sackhoff abruptly took herself out of the running, prompting me to post this blind item. But late Friday, word surfaced that the BSG badass was once again in the mix.

Here's more scoop on Sackhoff's character...
She's in a relationship with fellow agent Davis Cole (played by the just-cast Freddie Prinze. Jr.), and she apparently has a skeleton in her closet she's trying desperately to keep hidden.

As I previously reported, 24's eighth season -- which premieres Jan. 17, 2010 -- will be set in the Big Apple and center on an assassination plot against a visiting foreign leader (Slumdog Millionaire's Anil Kapoor). In addition to Sackhoff and Prinze, new Day 8 blood includes Forrest Gump'sMykelti Williamson, Kissing Jessica Stein's Jennifer Westfeldt (as a journalist with ties to Kapoor's diplomat), and The Starter Wife's Chris Diamantopoulos (as President Taylor's Chief of Staff).

t's still six months away, but since 24 pretty much kicked ass in the seventh season--well, because it failed to in the sixth--suddenly the anticipation for the eighth is higher than it should be. And it's a good thing. If you have big names joining your show, and are coming off a resurgence of sorts, then you must be feeling comfortable--at least until the bombs start exploding. Here, then, are some more details about what could happen on the upcoming season of the show, collected from a handful of places and put together... because we can. Somehow. If you don't want details, go skip this now, quick!

First up, Kiefer Sutherland, who talked to Entertainment Tonight and spilled some bits about what we should expect in the new season, which premieres in January. "One of the things that's exciting about season eight for us, which is different from all the other seasons is it's directly connected to the end of season seven," he said. "Normally there's a year or two break between seasons, between story lines--and this year that is not the case."

And the fact that they're shooting in New York has given the series a boost of sorts, too. "There's a real tangible energy you can't deny that about New York City," he said. "The situations have always made Jack Bauer speak really quickly, and now he runs really quickly because in New York you've got to do that."

The latest season, he says, has the most realistic storyline they've done in the show. "It centers around peace conferences taking place at the UN between the president of Iran and the President of the United States, which I believe is possible within the next few
years," he told TV Guide Magazine. "Obviously there will be a lot of people who will want to fight that. This is about fighting off that threat to peace."

Switching back to ET, there's Freddie Prinze Jr., who takes a serious turn as new CTU agent Cole Ortiz. (Note, the name was changed from when it was first announced.) "It's trial by fire, but it's good so far," he told the show. "It's been a lot of fun. I'm scared to say it's the best job I've ever had, but right now, it feels like the best job I've ever had."

In a separate interview with TV Guide Magazine, he spills a bit about what his character is about to face--and while most of it's stuff we already know, well, here it is anyway. "There's a moment between my character, who runs field ops, and [Katee Sackhoff's] character, Dana Walsh, who runs the tech side of things," he said. "They're engaged and it's difficult having a relationship at work when the stakes are so high. They're having some problems that I really can't get into. You see that somebody's holding things back--maybe she has a secret which he has to concern himself with. He's a Marine and he bases everything on having a plan with a coordinated attack. There's an interesting dynamic on how he's going to deal with her."

Also talking to the magazine is Anil Kapoor, the first high-profile new member of this season's cast: the Slumdog Millionaire star will play Middle Eastern politician Omar Hassan. "I have one scene in a car with my bodyguard," he said. "Suddenly I'm sending messages to my country to say people [behind an assassination attempt on his character's life] have to be taken to task and arrested. I can sense that the bodyguard is uncomfortable and the way that the scene progresses is very dramatic. I speak about the peace process, my younger brother Akbar and my family. It's a catharsis for my character."

Speaking of a family, he's got his family and another girlfriend. Omar, Omar, Omar.

Finally, Mary Lynn Rajskub hints at some problems ego-wise at the resurrected CTU. "Chloe is not up to speed in the new CTU, which is very different for her," she said. "[Katee] plays my new boss, and she kind of pats me on the shoulder and says, 'Don't worry--you'll catch up,' which is the worst moment for Chloe ever. Everything's changed at CTU and my bosses are looking at me like I'm not doing it right. But then something happens in the story where I think I know some information which pits me at odds with my bosses."

Must be something with the new CTU offices, which is "like a spaceship," Rajskub said. "It's sleek with a lot of glass, and underground with a tunnel you drive through to get into it. I feel kind of like Batgirl."